Endless track.



H. A. HATFIELD.

ENDLESS TRACK. APPLxcAloN FxLD1uNE|3.19|s.

1,297,844- mum Mm. 18,1919.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

H. A. HATFIELD.

ENDLESS TRACK.

APPLICATloN FILED JUNE 13. 1918.

1,297,844. Y Patented Mar. 18,1919.

, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

i?" y; at,

BBERT AVERY HAirrrELD, A'or LONDON l o cttw/omit may concern.'

""Befit'known that I, HUBERT AVERY HAT- Fmrgnfpa `"subject of the Kingof Great Britain",` lA present serving y with His vMajestys Englandhaveinvented certain new and use- "ful 'jfmprovements in Endless Tracks, vofwhich the following isaspecification.

n resentinvention refers to the conrstr 4j ofjth'e endless tracks formotorl.driven vehicles 'of' that type which "are which;'latter the-saidvehuicles receive mo- 5 tioj" nstructed consist of a number of linksd"togetl ier, the inner surface of each aving'an upstanding lug'neareach sidef-'ffsaid link. the lugs of one link intermeshin A`withvthejlugs of the other link,

" whiletfe linksare pivotally connected to- .'gether lpivot'pins passingthrough` the zlnt'crmeshing lugs, and the tracks-are commnlyldriven"byne of thetrack-carrying l 5 Wheels beingv formed with teeth engagingthe s aid"pivot`pins. In some cases it has -been vproposed to connectthofacing walls ofthe two upstan'ding` lugs of each link by atnbular bossformed in a piecewith the 0 said"A lugs, through which tubular boss and.the two s ide lugs a pivot pin yextends to pivot two adjacent linkstogether, the teeth of the driving trackcarrying wheel engaging withthe,- said tubular boss.- The present inven- :i relating to such endlesstracks all ashereafterl `described and claimed rand from the saidfollowing descriptionand 'claims it will beh gathered. that theinvention presents 40 as characteristic features the Jfact that ined--.g f dition to the already known longitudinallyeXtendin'g upstandinglugsproceeding from l each side ofthe same, additional centrallongitudinally-extending upstanding ribs are provided on the links so asto provide three point bearingsl for theA Vpivot pins which pivotpins'pass through the two upstanding [side lugs andthe central lug ofeachli'nk, the driving track wheel having teeth each with a central gapto pass astride the central lugs and engage the exposed portions o thepivot pins on each side of the central lug.

ENJDLESS TRACK.l

Speciication of Letters Patent.

forces in "France, and resident of London,

{translation} The tracks as at pres- 5 tionfrefers as aforesaid toimprovements thejnne'r face'of thelinksand locate-d near Aplan viewthereof. and Fig. 3 a Iright`-hand 60 showing two end view. Fig. 4' is aplan view links connectedtogether. y f F1g..5 is a plan view similar toFig. 4 but showing a slightly modified construction-'of' the links. Fig.6 is a'se'ctional end vlew showing the track and a toothed driving wheelf over f which the rear end of the track passes and by which it isdriven.

Fig. 7 is a sectional end viewshowinggtlie-vc supporting wheels locatedbetween the toothed rear driving wheel and the forward fcarrying wheelof the track,V and Fig. 8 is a"y diagram showing the general position ofthe f 2 75 parts. u

The flexible track consists of 'a number* of plates jointed one toanother by -pivot pins, and an example of construction' of one of theseplates is shown 'at Figs. V'1.1, 2f

:md 3 of theaccompanying drawings whiclif'80 ,will now be referred to.

, The plate illustrated is formed with a" rectangular sole 1 of therequisite dimensions in plan view. and extending centrally and in thedirection of the length 0f the 85 track there is an upstandin rib 2proceed-l ing from the inner surface ofthe sole; that isI to from thesurface which does notbear upon. the road. Upon each side and ata-distance from the central rib 2, 'varying accord- 9o ing to the widthof the track, is Va vside up-v standing lug 3, cach side lug 3 notbeingin one plane so that-the side lugs on the next plate may be broughtlaterally into conjunction with the side lugs of thefirst plate'as e5shown at Fig. 4. and the first' plate andthel 'second plate thereillustrated are then'pivl' oted together by a pivot' pin '4 passingl ofthe plates, the second plate shown not.

Prion.

ENGLAND, AssIGNon To H. A. H. 'raAcTojas LIMITED, or BIRMINGHAM,ENGLAND.

y Patented Mar. 18, 1919. i Application filed June 13, 1918. Serial o.239,83 l L through the side lugs 3 ofthe two adjacent 'f l plates andthrough the central rib 2 of one/10o" extreine lendsot' the sole niaylie-bentor track.

The I'orinatioii ot' the soles ot' the plates curved upward; the sidesof `the, sole of each plate at about a line passing transversely andcentrally through the plate, extend below the front and rear edges, theends of the solesloping upward to the t'ront and rear edges troni suchcentral lower part. The rear edge H ot' one-plate.overlaps the Jirontedge 9 of the next plate, indicated by dotted l Fig. 1 considering thelength of vthe v lines at being as. aforesaid such that the tread'neai'the sides thereo't' extends at intervals downward (considei'ing thelower length ot the track), therefore when running on a hard surface thevehicle would be supported upon such downward side extensions 6,but-when running ona sott surface such side extensions would sinkintothe sott earth and bring the central part ot the track into i contactwith such sofi surface. thereby giving the track a better grip andsupport upon 4 4the'. su'rface'over which it is traveling.

The side lugs 3 are yfoi-ined about centrally with through aperturesIsuch as `10'F1g. l,

l'and also the central ribs Q are siinilarly `v formed with aperturesto` permit "of the escape of earth or other foreign inattertronitheinner surface of the track.

In V'some cases a central rib 2 iiiay be formed upon each link as shownat Fig. 5, in such manner that the central ribs. when the links arebrought together, laterally overlap each other, and thepivot pin 4- thenpasses. not only through both the overlapping lugs 3, but also throughthe overlapping central ribs 2, and with this construction the lin'ksof' the track-are similar to each other and are interchangeable.

As indicated b r the outline magi-ain Fig. 8, such a tlexible'track iissupported and -passes over two main carrying wheels. a

' forward carrying wheel 11 anda rearward carrying wheel 12` therearward carrying wheel being the wheel h v which'the track receivesmotion, and. the wheel 12 is driven by any suitableinotive power carriedon the' vehicle.

section at Fig, 6 and is formed with two sets of teeth 13, 14, one setof teeth being on each side of the central rib 2 of the track, alid theteeth engage the rollers 5 carried by the pivot pins. rlhe teeth oftheinain to secure by Letters driving wheel 12 are 'constructed in pairs,

"so' that, as the track is passed along, the

rollers of each vpijvot pin are engaged etween two teeth of the wheel,12 upon each side of the central rib 2. g

The forward inain carrying wheel A11 is not illustrated in the drawingsbut issiinilar to the driving wheel 12,- excepting that the teeth areIdispensed with, and the rollers run on the plain surfaces formed -on theperipher v 'ot the wheel 11. one. such plain surface being on each sideof the central rib 2.

The shafts of the in'ain carrying Wli'iil's 1 1 and 12 are supported byany suitably constructed frame connected to` and supporting theframework o1' chassis of the vehicle, and

the lower -length .of the vtrack between the niain carrying wheels 11and 12 bearsl upon the peripheries of supporting wheels 15 carried bytheframework of the track, the supporting'wheels contacting Vwith theupper edgesucfi the continuous articulated lwebs formed by thel sidelugs 3. Such'finterme'- diate supporting wheels 15 are shown in thesectional elevation at Fi 7, and the vsupportin wheel l5, which the westormed by the lugs 3 on one side of .the track. is held in4 fixedrelation by an elongated hub 16 to the opposite supporting wheel 15bearing on the other web formed by the articulated lugs .3, both wheelsbeing flanged as shown and thereby lateral' strains to which the track ssubjected are. taken by the flanges of the said supporting wheels 15 andsidewise niovement of the track is thereby prevented. The upper lengthof the track is supported by idle wheels 17 `carried in the framework. f

ars upon one of The lower length ofthe track, Fig 8, is

maintained in a straight linel by the supporting wheels 15 .which havebeen described, hut the diaineters`of' he rear main driving sprocketwheel 12 and the main :forward carrying wheel ,-11 are such, orthey areso mounted, that 'the track after leaving the front inain carrying wheel11 extends lat an incline downward to the forward' supporting wheel 15,and after leaving the rear supporting wheel 15 thevtrack extends atan-'angle Vupward to the main driving sprocket wheel- 12, thisarrangement facilitating thev monntobstacles.

invention and desire atent is 1. A link for endless 'tracksformotordrven vehicles comprising a sole plate having a downwardlyrejecting tread on each side ,and a relativeJ y ing ofthe track overWhat I claim as n1 tread. The inain driving wheei l2 is'shown in 2. Alink tor endless tracks for niotordriven vehicles comprising a soleplate having a-downwardly projecting V shap vated intermediate tread.

3. In endless tracks for motor-drivenveelevated lintermediatel ed treadlon each side vthereof and a relatively elehicles colnprisin Y aplurality of links pivoted together, a ink having in combination adownwardly projecting tread on each side and an intermediate 'relativelyelevated tread and a longitudinal upstanding rib supporting each of saidtreads, said treadsupporting ribs of one link being adapted to engagewith those of the neXt link substantially as specified.

4,.In endless tracks for l'notor-driven vehiclescomprising a pluralityof links pivoted together, a link having in combination a downwardlyprojecting tread oneach side,

an intermediate relatively elevated tread, a

tread-supporting rib for each tread having transversely alined holesnear each end to' receivev a,pivot pin and rollers upon said plvot p1n.1

5. In endless tracks for motor-driven vehicles comprising a plurality oflinks pivoted together, a link having in combination a downwardlyprojecting V shaped tread on each'side and a relatively elevatedintermediate tread, a longitudinal u standing rib supporting each ofsaid trea s, said treadsupporting ribs having transversely alined holesnear each end adapted to receive a pivot pin substantiallyas and for thepurposes specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence'of twowitnesses.

' HUBERT AVERY HATFIELD.

Witnesses: i

' NORMAN GRENVILLE N o'rLEY,

' ROBERT PARKER LYLE.

